May: Favorite Picture Books!

May is already quickly turning into June, it seems! My picks for "May: Favorite Picture Books" are books that are tried and true with kids of all ages. One factor that consistently comes into play when I am selecting children's books, is the quality of the illustrations. I love, love, love BEAUTIFUL hand-drawn illustrations in a book. They really help bring the words to life, as well as helping out struggling readers with some of the words through use of pictures and context clues.

That being said, here are my picks for this month's favorite picture books!

1. "A Story for Bear" by: Dennis Haseley

Available on Amazon here.

This has to be one of my all-time FAVORITE picture books. Not only are the illustrations beyond beautiful {created with acrylic paint and colored pencil}, but the message is just as beautiful. The book tells the story of a woman and a bear who are drawn together as friends over the love of a good story. 

I may or may not tear up while reading this one, but I absolutely love it.

Here's another illustration from the book: 

{Could you just die over the cuteness of this sweet guy?!}

2. "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by: Mo Willems

Available on Amazon here.

 The "Pigeon" series by Mo Willems absolutely cracks me up. No lie, I die laughing every time I read one, especially aloud. These books have limited amounts of text, which is why I find them so fascinating. Through simple illustrations and speech bubbles, the author is able to convey the feelings of the pigeon and other characters, all while incorporating the reader into the story.

Other books in this series include: "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late", "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!", "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy", along with a few other 'spin-off' versions. All are equally hilarious, but I love the original. 

3. "Roxaboxen" by: Alic McLerran

Available on Amazon here.

 This book is another tried and true all-time favorites. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful by the talented Barbara Cooney {illustrator of "Miss Rumphius", another great book}. 

The blurb on the back of the book really tells all you need to know about this amazing story:

"Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill - nothing but sand and rocks, some old wooden boxes, cactus and greasewood and thorny ocotillo - but it was really a sparkling world of jeweled homes, streets edged with the whitest stones, and two ice cream shops. And all children needed to go there were a long stick and a soaring imagination."

The vivid imagery and description of this book, coupled with the amazing illustrations, makes for a fantastic read-aloud for any age. The events in this book are based on true events from the author's mother's life. 

This is a great book to use for any writing lesson to show how students can describe a place in a way that makes the reader feel like they are actually there.

4. "Bedhead" by: Margie Palatini

 Available on Amazon here.

If you're looking for a book to help teach word choice, imagery, small moments, or just a book filled with humor, this is a fabulous choice. The language in this story is brilliant, and perfectly paints a picture of a kid having a terrible hair day. When students claim they have nothing to write about, pull this book out and show that even having a bad hair day can turn into a picture book! The smallest moments make for the best stories, filled with lots & lots of detail. 

This book can be used with all ages!

That concludes the list of a few of my favorite picture books this month. 

Stay tuned for June's list, coming up in just a few short weeks! :)

As always, if you have any favorites you think I would enjoy 

{especially with BEAUTIFUL illustrations} 

please leave titles in the comments below!

Happy Reading!

- Kristen